1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a butt of the type to be fitted in a contained socket of a "fighting chair" or on a "fighting belt" secured to the fisherman and used to support a trolling type fishing rod and including a reel seat mounted thereon for use in combination wih the trolling rod. The construction of the subject butt is of a multi component design as versus an integral construction so as to enhance the structural integrity of the butt by eliminating potential weak points especially in the elongated shank portion thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fishing rods primrily designed for use in deep sea trolling or surf fishing conventionally include an elongated rod blank defining the distal end of the rod. This rod end or blank is intended to be fitted within what is commonly referred to as a butt. The distal end of the butt is specifically configured to be received within a socket permanently but movably mounted on a "fighting chair" or even on a "fighting belt" secured to a fisherman. In addition, a reel used in combination with the fishing rod blank may be secured directly to the butt rather than the fishing rod itself.
It is obvious from the enormous amount of stress and "bending forces" placed on the butt that its construction and design must be adequate to withstand the aforementioned forces and also maintain a certain amount of structural integrity throughout its life.
The U.S. Patent to Shedd et al, No. 4,083,141 attempts to overcome the above set forth well recognized problems with these types of structures by designing an integral butt and reel seat for an offshore trolling rod made by swaging a unitary tubular member to form a rearwardly tapering butt section, a transition section tapering forwardly from a forward end of the butt section to a decreased diameter and a cylindrical reel seat section that extends forwardly from the transition section and has a forward end thereof threaded for reception of an adjustable threaded reel hood. Shedd et al recognizes that large bending forces are applied to the rod assembly, being applied to the butt by great leverage of the rod itself. Due to this great amount of stress, offshore trolling rods are most likely to break, under long use and great bending stresses, at the junction of the reel seat and the butt section. Specifically, in prior constructions that point of the butt section at which a shoulder is formed by the junction of the butt tenon and body portion of the butt provides a decreased diameter and a relatively sharp step or shoulder to concentrate stresses at the portion of decreased diameter, thus creating a greater probability of breakage at this point.
Again, Shedd et al attempts to overcome the above set forth problems by providing a unitary, one piece tubular "blank" which is swaged into a specific configuration. However, it should be noted that in the Shedd et al patent the unitary tubular blank from which the butt is formed, after the swaging operation has been completed, does not present a substantially unitary, straight line internal diameter longitudinally extending hollow portion of common internal diameter but rather, a "stepped" configuration having transition portions which could possibly result in points of stress at which the wall thickness of the resulting machined butt is reduced. Accordingly, after some generally extended usage, breakage could very well occur.
In order to overcome the problems recognized above, there is still a need in the sport fishing industry for a butt construction which is capable of maintaining a sufficient amount of structural integrity even after extended usage by providing the major length of the butt to include a straight line, linear configuration along an extended hollow interior of the butt and preferably to further include a substantially common inner diameter along the length thereof thereby removing any "transition portions" or shoulders at which forces may be concentrated during use of the butt which could result in potential points of weakness after the aformentioned extended usage.
Other U.S. Patents relating to the subject matter include Wallace, No. 4,403,439 directed to an integral fishing rod, handle and reel seat assembly molded of nylon on the distal end of an extruded fiberglass fishing rod.